By-elections? Let’s see if we can do it another way, says Coughlan

Speaking after the Donegal South West count, the tanaiste proposed a new system involving either lists or the parties involved selecting replacements

Mary Coughlan, the tanaiste, has proposed a system to replace by-elections under which replacement TDs would be selected by the party when its deputy died or retired.

Coughlan, the education minister, was speaking at the count centre at the Donegal South West by-election on Friday where Pearse Doherty of Sinn Fein was elected after polling almost 40% of first preference votes. Doherty had made a successful High Court challenge forcing the government to hold the by-election for a vacancy that was created in June 2009.

In his victory speech Doherty said: “This is the election this government never wanted to happen, and maybe the result will tell you why.”

Coughlan said she did not accept that people in Donegal were angry about the government’s delay in holding the by-election until a High Court ruling forced its hand.

“I wouldn’t have picked that up at all,” she said. “Often the criticism